Peeta or Gale?
by xLAURENNx
Summary: Katniss and Peeta have come back from the games but Katniss doesn't know where she stands with Gale. Will she admit how she really feels about Peeta? Or will she decide that she prefers Gale? Who will she choose?
1. Chapter 1

When I step out of the train, I am blinded by a thousand cameras taking my picture.

"_Katniss! Peeta!_" People cry.

I am holding Peeta's hand so hard I am sure I will crush it, but I can't loosen my grip. Haymitch catches my eye and gives me a lingering glare. I know what I have to do. Nudging Peeta slightly, I begin waving, smiling, and we look like a happy couple: if only.

Once we are out of the way of reporters, we are led to separate rooms where we can reunite with our parents. Peeta seems to have no problem taking his hand from mine. When he does, our eyes meet and I see the emotions inside his remarkable blue colour: disappointment, hollowness, pain, hurt, and love. He doesn't say goodbye to me as he turns around and enters the room in which his family are waiting.

Sighing, I head into the room I was assigned.

The moment I open the door, I hear a squeal and am hit by a girl. She's tall, clean, and healthy-looking: it's Prim.

"Prim!" I cry hoarsely. "What happened to you?!"

"Katniss! Katniss! You won! You and Peeta won!" Prim jumps up and down excitedly, a smile glued to her sweet face. "And the baker was so nice! Peeta's father: he gave us everything we needed! And then I went down to the Hob and sold so much! Katniss, everything's right! Everything's perfect!"

Behind Prim, a figure rises: my mother. I give her a quick hug and look up into her eyes: has the hollowness gone? It doesn't look like my mother. Like Prim, she seems happy, clean and healthy. It seems like the hole in her heart from my father's death has now begun healing.

"Congratulations, Katniss," she whispers. Suddenly, we're both crying. My mother was back! She looks pretty, too, like they told me she'd looked before my father died.

After more talking and crying, Haymitch bursts through the door and practically orders us to pack our bags to move into the new house.

I'd almost forgotten: _we didn't have to live in the Seam anymore_!

"Not you, Katniss, District 12 demands a report from you and Peeta together," Haymitch grimaces.

This meant more acting. We have to pretend we're completely in love to cover our scandal with the berries. The thing is I'm not sure that I'm pretending anymore...

"There's one more visitor for you, Katniss!" Effie Trinket totters down the corridor in high heels with a boy shuffling after her. Gale!

I don't hesitate to rush into his arms. He crushes me with his hug. Haymitch, knowing that we want our moment to be private, pushes us into a room and shuts the door.

"You did it!" he exclaims. I nod. He senses something is wrong. "It's _him_, isn't it?"

The way he says 'him' sounds bitter and despising.

"Do you mind?" I ask nervously.

"I thought you were pretending," Gale shakes his head, as if refusing to believe the information I portrayed.

"I was... at first," I sigh, sitting down. "Why do you care anyway?"

"I'm not sure about him..." Gale bites his lip. "Perhaps I should tell you now, a reason why I'm so protective of you."

Gale wasn't in love with me or anything. No way. He _couldn't _be! There must be another reason!

"Katniss, you know my father and your father died in a mine accident," Gale begins slowly.

"Yes..." I urge.

"Well, Catnip, they're the same person: my father and your father," Gale confesses. "You're my half sister."

I sit there, stunned. No: _Gale _my _half brother_?! But... that meant I was holding Peeta back for nothing. I thought that Gale _loved _me, and I didn't want to hurt his feelings which was why I didn't let myself properly fall in love with Peeta!

I jump up. Gale looks worried.

"I have to go," I blurt out, rushing from the room.

"Where are you going?" Gale stammers.

"To Peeta's!" I yell. I need to get to Peeta before it's too late.

I catch him as he's on the stage. I realise that there's crowds of people looking at us, but I can't see them. To me, Peeta and I are the only ones standing there.

"Peeta!" I cry.

He whips around and I run up to him so that we're close.

"Hello, Katniss," he replies politely, glancing at the audience and then back to me again.

"Peeta, I love you," I breathe loudly. "I didn't realise it before, but I love you so much. When we were in the arena, I tried to deny it, pretended I was kidding myself. I didn't know where I stood with Gale, and I didn't want to lose his friendship by convincing myself I was in love with you."

"And where do you stand with darling Gale now," Peeta sneers, but not in an insulting way. I can see that he's hurt, but there's some adoration in his face as well.

"It turns out Gale is my brother, Peeta," I never take my eyes away from his. Peeta's mouth opens, closes, opens, and closes again. He's in shock, as am I.

"That makes no difference, you didn't love me and I thought you did," he says, trying to make himself look as though he's bored and impatient.

"It _does _make a difference, because now I _know_, Peeta, I know that I love you," I notice that I am crying, and salty tears are sliding down my cheeks.

"Katniss, do you realise you are saying this in front of cameras and people?" Peeta gulps.

"I know," I close my eyes, begging for forgiveness.

"So I hope you don't mind that I do this," he whispers softly.

As I open my eyes, I see Peeta winding his arms around my waist. I wrap mine around his neck, and then lean in and kiss him. My fingers twine through his golden hair and my grip around his shoulders tightens. I elevate onto my toes and caress the side of his cheek. At the same time, he pulls me towards him and holds me, keeping me safe with him. I know now that I was meant for Peeta.

In the audience, I hear a sigh and some 'aww's. I peek out of the corner of my eye and see Gale giving me a secretive smile, Prim beaming, Mum clapping, and Peeta's family with them.

Everything seems perfect.

Especially now that Peeta and I can be together forever...


	2. Chapter 2

"Katniss, get _up_!"

"Go away," I moan, rolling over in my sleep. My bed is so comfortable I never want to leave it. Everything has been amazing and rich since we've moved to Victor's Village. And Peeta is in the house right next door.

"Come on, Katniss, it's your birthday!"

My eyes snap open and I see Prim's face grinning at me. Since I've been away at the Games she's grown quite gangly, but I suppose that's a good thing.

"Birthday?" my confused brain doesn't register. We never really celebrated birthdays back in the Seam.

"Yes, we've got presents, come _on_!" Prim urges, grabbing my hand and pulling me down the stairs. Our house is huge, more of a mansion, with chandeliers and thick red carpets and gold everywhere. The houses are like this all down the road, although only three are occupied.

"Happy Birthday, Katniss," my mother smiles at me and hands me a box wrapped in pink paper and another piece of paper decorated with some sort of origami creation. "The presents wrapped in pink, the flat piece of paper is a card."

I open the card first, in awe as I slide my finger under the fold of paper. Inside is a card bearing the words 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY!' in glittery writing. Glitter is somehow finding its way onto my pyjamas and into my fingernails like dirt. The present, I discover, is a bracelet, just a simple gold chain-link bracelet, but when I look closer I see that it has the mockingjay symbol engraved into each link.

"Thank you, it's beautiful," I manage to choke.

'How did I get here when just over a month ago I was starving to death in the Seam?' I think to myself.

As I begin to open Prim's present, Gale's family come in. Since Gale has admitted he's my brother, our families have come a lot closer through our bond that our father is the same. Both of our mothers grieve together over the man they both loved. Gale's mother doesn't mind that my father left her for my mother.

"Where's Gale?" I ask as Gale's mother walks in with one of his brothers.

"He went out, I'm not sure where, he just finds it peaceful outside I think," one of Gale's brothers explains.

I rush while opening Prim's card and present: I urgently want to see Gale. Prim has got me a brand new pair of boots. My old ones are worn, and these new ones are modern but still as sturdy and practical.

"Prim, thank you!" I gasp, hugging her. After another round of hugs I manage to excuse myself, change clothes and rush out. I know where to find Gale: of course he won't be anywhere in District 12...

"Gale!" I call when I see him in the distance. He's fishing, his line still dipping gracefully in the water, although I can see he hasn't caught anything yet.

"Hey, Katniss, happy birthday!" Gale grins. "I got you a—" He breaks off and his smiling face suddenly turns into one of terror. He's still looking at me.

"What's the matter," I ask nervously, fidgeting with my fingers.

Gale raises one shaky finger and points at me. I wonder why, but then I realise he's pointing _behind _me. I turn and find myself facing a huge black stomach, and then I find a gun pointing at my head. I'd never seen a gun before, although I'd heard of them, and I know they definitely weren't allowed in the arena, but I was seeing one now. The man in front of me is obviously from the Capitol, I can see from his proud badge gleaming on his black coat. He's come well armed: probably a guard or a ninja or a spy. I hear the trigger being pulled on the gun and squeeze my eyes closed tight. I'm dead.

'Goodbye Peeta, goodbye Gale, goodbye Prim, I'm sorry..." I think regretfully. A fat tear leaks out of my eye and slid down my cheek. I seem to be crying an awful lot recently.

"No!" somebody suddenly cries: Gale. He flings himself at the guard and knocks him to the ground. "Katniss!"

My reflexes acting quickly, I grab the guard's gun and shoot him. The gunshot echoes through the trees and I realise I've made a huge mistake. Birds fly away, cawing in fear. Gale looks at me, horrified.

"What do we _do_?!" he whispers.

Thinking fast, I grab the man's legs and drag him into a nearby bush. He's left a small trail of blood on the woodland floor, and a pang of guilt hits me. This man had feelings, this was just his job: he didn't have a choice.

'But neither did you,' a voice inside reminds me. This man was trying to kill me, what I did was self-defence.

"Katniss, we need to go, run, soon, as soon as possible, wait, now," Gale gulps. He begins to walk, but it's just fear that's leading him to rush. I have experience of that from the Games.

"Gale, _stop_," I order. My voice is strong and he obeys.

"What's your plan then, Katniss? The Capitol has been waiting to arrest you for something since your stunt with the berries in the Games! This was probably set up, and they're going to get you. As soon as possible, they're going to arrest you, murder you, whatever, but they have a reason, which is why we have to go!" Gale insists.

"We need to take Peeta," I say flatly.

Gale groans. "Can't you just leave Lover-Boy behind? If you love him, let him go."

"Gale, that only works in movies, and this is no time to be funny, I've just killed a man! No, Peeta needs to come with us because they'll do the same to him! I wasn't the only one to pull the stunt with the berries, if I recall correctly."

Gale runs his hand through his straggly hair. "Fine, fine, whatever, go get him and then we run. I'm just being the protective older brother, okay? Just get him, I'll clear up this blood, and then we go, forever, and don't talk to your family, do not go back to your house."

I nod and head back into District 12. I can feel that the Peacekeepers from the Capitol are on their way. They're coming for me. As I run through the streets I ignore the people staring, some pointing and saying "there's Katniss Everdeen, there's the girl who one the Hunger Games." But the Games don't matter anymore. Now I'm on an even more dangerous quest. Even more tears leak from my eyes.

I've failed.

I have to run and it's all my fault.

I killed a man.

And now I'm leaving District 12 forever.


	3. Just A Quick Note From Me :

Just a quick note from me.

To be honest I don't spend a lot of my time writing for FanFiction but I enjoy it and I love everyone's feedback, positive or negative, everyone's counts so thank you everyone that's reviewed! But basically I come on around once a month, and so I don't really update my stories much, but I will add more chapters on, this is just to say sorry if it takes ages!

Thank you guys!


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